Shōhei Kohara

Shōhei Kohara (小原渉平 Kohara Shōhei) was one of Takara's artists who translated the first year Transformers toy designs into character designs that were the basis of the designs used in the animated series and comic books. The designs were all subsequently simplified by Floro Dery, who generally removed wheels in robot mode and enlarged the characters' heads before the designs saw commercial use.

The early animated comic book and toy commercials utilized a modified Megatron design that was closer to the actual toy than Kohara's original model (based on a toy prototype). This modified design still however retained many details, such as the head and fusion cannon, from Kohara's original model. The design was then modified further by Dery to make it better reflect the toy and this was similarly used in the animated series and comic books along with the other simplified character models.

Kohara's designs for Prowl, Sideswipe, Jazz, and Optimus Prime.

Kohara's designs for Laserbeak, Soundwave, Starscream, and Megatron.

External links

• YouTube: Toy ads featuring Kohara's designs: [1] [2] [3]
• Anime News Network profile
• Internet Movie Database profile
  
  
  From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.